A box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans sat in front of them; Kyle handed one to Ron, ate one himself, and the rest ended up in Ginny's hands. The little girl hugged the box, thought for a moment, and then jogged over to Kyle, hoping he could help her pick some out, at least to get rid of the bogey-flavored one.
Kyle understood Ginny's request very well but decisively refused. Young people are always meant to try different things. Besides, what does the advertisement for Bertie Bott's say? "Every bite is a brand new adventure," which is the biggest feature of these beans. Without surprises, can they still be called Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? No, that would just be candy.
So it wasn't that he was lazy; it was all for Ginny's sake. After playing in the open space for a while, they finally heard Mrs. Weasley’s familiar voice from the direction of the Burrow, announcing that dinner was ready. The group, already hungry with their stomachs growling, dropped their sticks and began walking back together.
Kyle walked at the front, with Ron closely following behind. However, after just a couple of steps, he was suddenly shoved aside by the twins charging through. Caught off guard, Ron almost fell into a nearby goblin hole, which made him quite angry. He glared at Fred and George, displaying an expression that suggested he would charge at them and bite them if they didn't apologize.
Ron might have been serious, but unfortunately, he was destined to get no results because Fred and George's attention had been on Kyle the whole time; they hadn't even glanced at Ron, so they had no idea what he was thinking. Even if they did know, they probably wouldn't care; after all, bullying their younger brother wasn't something new to them, and they were quite familiar with the process.
Despite Ron's furious appearance, as long as he didn’t want to get beaten up, he wouldn’t charge at them. In a few days, a little saved snack would perfectly resolve the matter. By then, there would again be brotherly love, and the family would be harmonious.
So the main thing now was to resolve Kyle’s issue. The incident that happened last time in Diagon Alley was viewed by the twins as the biggest stain of their lives, and they had been wanting to get back at him. However, Kyle hadn’t left the house in days, giving them no chance for revenge.
But if they confronted him directly, it would seem too deliberate and could raise Kyle's suspicions. So Fred and George had to temporarily suppress their desire for revenge; they needed a suitable opportunity.
Like now. With Chris and Kyle around, it had become a bit cramped to have dinner inside, so Mrs. Weasley set the dining table up outside. Once Kyle instinctively arrived at his usual spot, Fred suddenly shot him a look and quickly sat down beside him. George, although unsure of Fred's plan, immediately took a seat on Kyle's other side thanks to their incredible tacit understanding.
"Huh?" Kyle was a bit surprised by this scene; it was the first time he had seen the twins sitting apart. Then he raised an eyebrow lightly, "Something's off, huh?"
The twins were being so obvious; if he didn’t notice something strange, that would be rather dull. However, since he wasn't sure what they were up to, Kyle refrained from acting rashly and continued to help Mrs. Weasley set the plates as if nothing were wrong.
Soft, crispy rolls, tender roasted potatoes, fragrant roasted chicken, golden fried chicken pieces, and juicy little steaks… Although they were all old friends by now, the spread was certainly impressive in terms of variety. Of course, Kyle didn't expect to have anything else here; he just hoped that the Hogwarts house-elves would surprise him with something. He didn't ask for Chinese food; French cuisine would suffice, or even pasta or pizza would be fine.
When the last plate was brought to the table, everyone took their seats, and dinner officially began. Kyle was particularly cautious, afraid that he might accidentally eat something strange. He certainly didn't want to embarrass himself in public.
……
With Kyle on high alert, nothing unusual happened. The twins, as usual, ate while telling jokes to amuse everyone, showing no abnormal behavior at all. Until halfway through dinner, at the peak of the table's liveliness, Fred finished telling a joke about a Slytherin with greasy hair and suddenly seemed to think of something. He turned to George and said, "Hey, George, Kyle’s going to Hogwarts tomorrow; should we give him some help? Like telling him some precautions for the Sorting Hat ceremony, since it can be quite dangerous."
George immediately understood and pretended to think for a moment (in reality, he was just trying to swallow the steak in his mouth) before responding, "I don't think that's necessary, Fred. We should trust Kyle; he's really capable. Just a full-grown troll, Kyle can definitely handle it and make it through the Sorting without a hitch."
"I think you're right, George." Fred nodded seriously, "And someone as proud as Mr. Kyle Joba would probably look down on our suggestions; he wouldn't even want to call us seniors."
Fred's plan was simple: take advantage of Kyle's pre-school days to scare him with the Sorting ceremony, and if they could make him lose sleep for a night, that would be perfect. Moreover, in this setting, not only would the prank not get stopped, but they could even get outside support; it was simply too fitting.
Fred looked at Kyle triumphantly, convinced he would get his revenge for what happened in Diagon Alley.
……
As Fred expected, their conversation immediately piqued the interest of the adults nearby, who eagerly joined in. The Sorting ceremony for new students had always been a favorite topic among the wizarding graduates, who never tired of using the same subject to deceive generation after generation of young wizards. It seemed this time it was Kyle's turn.
"Dear, don't believe them." Mrs. Weasley was the first to express her stance. After "sternly" scolding the twins, she looked at Kyle and said, "It's not that scary; it's just passing a test from a bunch of ghosts, not dangerous at all."
"Molley, how can you lie to the child?" Mr. Weasley was not to be outdone, putting on a serious face and glaring at his wife, "Kyle is a great kid; we can totally tell him the truth. I believe he can certainly tame a Hippogriff all on his own."
"Hippogriff? Isn't it a dragon?" Chris was slightly taken aback and then firmly told Kyle, "Son, trust Dad; it must be a dragon. And based on my guess, it should be a Hungarian Horntail this year."
……
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah, I can."
"I believe you, Dad."
Kyle nodded along like a bobblehead, echoing each person after they spoke and showing the appropriate expressions at the right times. Mrs. Weasley felt relieved. Mr. Weasley was resolute. His own dad seemed hesitant.
How pitiful the wizarding world was; what entertainment could they have? It was merely Quidditch and deceiving children. They had so little fun; if they could cooperate, why not play along? It wasn’t difficult.
Now everyone was satisfied; it was wonderful.
……
The table was filled with laughter and warmth, completely oblivious to the two helpless figures trembling in the corner.